The Cockroach Janta Party has already achieved what few new political movements manage: it forced a powerful government to concede. The harder test is what comes next. The developments this month suggest that CJP is no longer simply a protest over examination failures. The September 5 Delhi march was called off after the Centre approached the Supreme Court and reiterated commitments concerning cases against protesters. The Court’s intervention has since acquired its own significance, with the suspension of a Greater Noida magistrate after a student received a preventive-action notice despite the Court’s earlier orders.

CJP has also pressed for the arrest of social media influencer Swatantra Bharadwaj over allegations arising from the Jantar Mantar protests. Bharadwaj is now in custody. Here again, the movement is testing whether the law will be applied consistently rather than merely demanding another political concession. That is a significant evolution. The original CJP victory came from converting anger over examination failures into political pressure. Its emerging campaign is different: it seeks to make citizens scrutinise how the state functions after the headlines have moved........

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